


oaths

by jsnoopy



Series: buried youth [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26155147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsnoopy/pseuds/jsnoopy
Summary: “Oh,” Mark said after zapping the power out. “I think a fuse might’ve blown.”Renjun had stifled his laughter against Mark’s shoulder, leaning into him.Even in the dark, Mark kept him upright, his hand careful on his waist, electricity pulsing through him.----two stories following the events of 'the way'
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Mark Lee
Series: buried youth [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741354
Comments: 10
Kudos: 42





	oaths

**Author's Note:**

> this is not the sequel i hinted at, but the first of two short stories following the events of the way. if you haven't read the way... it might make sense ? but probably not.
> 
> this one is for toast. thank you for supporting me & this story for so long, here are some more markren crumbs. <3

apogee

_noun_

  1. the highest point in the development of something; a climax or culmination.



“Your friend is at the door.”

Slowly clawing his way out of sleep, Renjun blinked up at Sicheng.

The first thing Renjun thought was: the blackout curtains they’d hung in his room the night before were amazing. His room was as dark as a tomb. Sicheng looked vampiric looming over him, his face contorted by shadows, figure backlit by the hallway light.

The second thing was: _Oh. Shit._

“My—“ Renjun started, but he faltered before he could correct him. His mouth was too dry and his eyes too blurry for him to come up with an argument that made sense, especially when he didn’t know exactly _what_ he wanted to correct. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Sicheng crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t forget to pick up a couple of applications today while you’re out.”

“Yep, yep,” Renjun said. “I have to change.”

“I mean it, don’t forget,” Sicheng said. He used his best stern teacher voice. But Renjun had never been one of his students and he was met with an amused laugh rather than compliance.

“Okay,” Renjun agreed anyway, just to placate him. “I really have to get ready now.”

Sicheng opened his mouth, drawing in a deep breath, but Renjun didn’t have _the time_ to get caught up in one of Sicheng’s well intentioned lectures. He had places to be, people to see – particularly the boy waiting for him right now.

“I’m naked, Sicheng,” Renjun cut in before Sicheng could start.

Sicheng grunted. He clearly wasn’t pleased at the interruption, but he closed the door behind him on the way out, leaving Renjun to leap into action.

He was supposed to be ready by 10 o’clock. It was 10:20 now, which meant Renjun was an ass. He was still getting used to the whole not being tied to Norton’s grounds thing, and the cell phone thing, and the...not being dead thing. After a few months, the excuses had started tasting stale. It wouldn’t be unbelievable if he stopped receiving invitations out of the house at all if he kept forgetting to set alarms and falling into poor sleep schedules.

“Stupid curtains,” Renjun grumbled.

His schedule was to blame on more than the curtains, though. With old friends in high places and the fact that he had technically been at Norton Academy for near thirteen years, Renjun had been fit with a diploma bearing his name and sent on his way.

There wasn’t much for a sixteen-year-old to do on his own. He didn’t have to go to university now. He’d wait until Donghyuck was ready, he decided. It was only fair. He had so much to catch up on. Ten was trying to rope him into movie marathons as a bonding activity, but there was a certain amount of ick involved in sitting in the same room with Sicheng and Ten for any amount of time. He had his own relationship problems. He didn’t even know where to start with them.

But it was alright. He had time now.

He had so much time.

“Renjun!”

“Coming!” Renjun shouted. He cupped his palm in front of his mouth, taking a whiff of his breath – not that bad, but he’d swish around some Listerine on his way out.

The living room was empty when he emerged from the hallway. Renjun sighed as he grabbed his shoes. “You could’ve at least let him inside!”

Sicheng appeared in the doorway that led to the kitchen. “Not a chance. Tell him I’m counting the days until he goes away for university.”

“You’re such a jerk,” Renjun said. He smiled anyway. Sicheng wasn’t nearly as spooky in the light. The dark bags under his eyes had nearly disappeared since they’d met again. Now his consternation was rooted in his stubborn desire to be a good role model. Whatever that meant.

“And I’m serious about the applications, you can’t waste your whole summer,” Sicheng said, “you need to start building up your resume unless you want to live off your…friend your whole life.”

Renjun tapped his finger to his chin, thinking. “Hm. My friend, your _cousin,_ is pretty rich…”

Sicheng shot him an unimpressed look.

“Got it,” Renjun said quickly before he started in again. He grabbed the doorknob, ready to fly. “I’ll look for a job. See you, I’ll be back sometime!”

“Renjun—“

Although he’d already opened the door a crack, Renjun paused, looking back.

Sicheng’s face softened. “Be safe.”

Renjun couldn’t help but smile. As much as Sicheng lectured him, it was because he cared. They were friends, after all. “I will. I promise. And, Sicheng?”

“Yes?”

“Call Ten, won’t you? You two need some alone time. I don’t want to be here when he decides he’s waited long enough for you to realize you’re in love with him.”

Leaving Sicheng spluttering behind him, Renjun bounced out of the house, grinning. And why wouldn’t he? He had someone important waiting for him.

Mark adjusted his glasses as he stood. The butt of his pants was damp from sitting on the front steps. He smiled back at Renjun without question. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Renjun said. “Your ass is wet.”

Mark grimaced. “Don’t make fun of me. I’ve been waiting ages.”

“Just stating a fact.” Renjun joined him at the bottom step. He looked Mark over, starting with his clean white sneakers, all the way up to pink streak in his hair. That had been a fun night – a result of too much alcohol and a dare that allowed Donghyuck the excuse to cross the space between him and Mark and run his hands through his hair.

“What are you looking at?” Mark asked.

Renjun hated how heat rose in his cheeks. It was a nasty side effect of being alive, the way Mark could fluster him so easily. Something had shifted between them since last fall. Renjun liked his heart fluttered when he caught Mark’s eyes on him, the chill up his arm when their hands brushed over Jaemin’s expensive gaming set up.

_(“Oh,” Mark said after zapping the power out. “Jaemin, I think a fuse might’ve blown.”_

_Renjun had stifled his laughter against Mark’s shoulder, leaning into him._

_Even in the dark, Mark kept him upright, his hand careful on his waist, electricity pulsing through him.)_

But he didn’t like the hesitation. The silence. There was so much he wanted to say, bitten into his tongue for years. Now that he could, Renjun just couldn’t find his voice.

“I’m looking at you,” Renjun said. Simple. Nice.

Mark indulged him, smiling. “Everything look okay?”

“Could be better,” Renjun said.

Mark rolled his eyes. Renjun was pleased to see his smile remain fixed on his face. At least he knew of Renjun’s opinion on him. Whether Mark believed it or not, Renjun couldn’t look at him and find a single physical flaw.

They turned down the street, walking toward town. It was humid out, though not unbearable. Renjun chewed on the inside of his cheek as he snuck sideways glances at Mark’s bare arms, free from the confines of Norton’s dress code. Living with Mark for years had not relieved him of his appreciation and with their separation, as Renjun moved in with Sicheng, it had grown even deeper.

“Did Donghyuck tell you he’d be back soon?”

Mark nodded. “Jeno’s going to pick him up from the airport. Are you going with him?”

Renjun shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I have to get a job.”

Mark huffed out a laugh. “Why?”

“Because that’s what you do, isn’t it? I’m a member of society again, better contribute to it, or something.”

“So…Sicheng wants you out of the house,” Mark concluded.

Renjun tsked. “I think Sicheng would be happy to never let me out of his sight again.”

“Congratulations on the new father figure,” Mark teased.

Renjun rolled his eyes, reaching between the distance to punch his arm. Mark feigned hurt, pouting as he rubbed at the spot. When he gave up on the theater, he considered Renjun again.

“Have you been talking a lot?”

“Yeah,” Renjun said. “Every day. You?”

Mark shrugged, too nonchalant to be believed. “It feels weird when he’s not close. Talking makes it worse.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Renjun murmured, “maybe it gets worse because you’re acknowledging that you miss him.”

Mark seemed careful not to reveal what he thought about that, which meant Renjun had hit the nail on the head. Renjun pressed on. “It’ll be nicer to hang out together when he’s back.”

“Yeah,” Mark agreed, “getting everyone back together at Jaemin’s.”

“What about your flat?”

“It’s pretty small for all seven of us.”

It wasn’t small at all, just cramped with Mark’s books. But that wasn’t the point. “Just the three of us, then.”

Because Renjun had known Mark so long, his tells were easy to read. When he was annoyed, Mark tended to laugh – flat and discouraging. When he was tired, Mark rubbed his chin with two fingers. Whenever Renjun brought up Donghyuck, the tips of Mark’s ears would turn pink and he’d escape the conversation as fast as he could.

“We should go to the city before you get a job,” Mark suggested, changing the subject.

Too hard, too fast. Renjun swallowed the urge to ask Mark what he really wanted. “For what?”

“To get you a new skateboard,” Mark said. “Mine’s not that great. We should replace the one you used to have.”

And – it had been years, honestly, that Renjun had managed to keep this to himself, but that was long enough. Too much time could turn to nothing, sand slipping fast through his fingers, and Renjun couldn’t risk biting them back again. He might explode, shatter into a thousand million pieces for Mark to collect again, and that wasn’t fair either, was it?

“Mark,” Renjun said. He flinched at the impatience in his tone, the sheer desperation. He hadn’t intended to sound so needy but Mark had already heard the shift in his voice and he couldn’t take it back now.

Mark stopped, turning to face him. For once, it was hard to read his face. Renjun’s reason and hope warred for control of his brain. Was that a look that meant he should continue or was Mark silently begging for him to stop? Renjun was already floundering. He hadn’t even gotten to the important part.

“Are you okay?” Mark asked softly. He was always so gentle, so disposed to hold Renjun like a thing made of glass. Renjun could feel the power pulsing through his veins even from here. He wished he would just do something.

But maybe Mark was a coward. Maybe they both were. But if Renjun could handle resurrection, he could handle telling a boy he loved him.

“Mark,” Renjun started again, “I know this is— this probably sounds stupid, but you know I like you, right?”

Mark stared at him. He opened his mouth and closed it again, adjusted his glasses, started, and stopped. Renjun watched him struggle, holding his breath.

“Um,” Mark said finally, “yes. Yeah. I know that. I mean. Yeah. I like you, too.”

“Yeah,” Renjun said, “and— I know last year was… you did a lot for me. I don’t want you to think that you’re obligated to, like—“ He stopped as Mark stepped in close, surprised by their sudden proximity.

“I’m not obligated,” Mark said, lowering his voice for only Renjun’s ears, despite the empty street. He studied Renjun’s face, searching for something. Renjun wanted to ask what, but he was finding it hard to breath. “Go on. Sorry for interrupting.”

“Okay.” Renjun licked his lips, drawing in a breath to continue, but he caught Mark’s gaze flick down to follow the motion and his brain stuttered to a halt. “Um.”

“Go on,” Mark murmured.

“Um,” Renjun said. “I love you, kind of.”

Mark’s lips twitched. He pursed them, but his cheeks drew tight as if he were holding back a smile. “Mhmm.”

“I love you a lot,” Renjun murmured.

“A lot?”

Renjun nodded.

Mark lifted a hand, running his knuckles along Renjun’s jaw carefully. His touch was a ghost on Renjun’s skin. The warmth of his hand was hotter than a hundred summer suns.

Renjun swallowed hard, closing his eyes. He could accept if Mark did not feel the same, as long as he touched him. He felt the press of Mark’s thumb at the corner of his mouth first, Mark palming his jaw, before the press of lips to his cheek. Renjun exhaled shakily.

“I didn’t think I would ever get to hear you say that,” Mark admitted, tipping his forehead to Renjun’s. “I didn’t think I’d be able to tell you.”

“You can,” Renjun whispered. “Please.”

Mark chuckled, the proximity of the sound sending a tremor down to Renjun’s toes. “Look at me, Renjun.”

Renjun’s stomach flipped. He opened his eyes, feeling shy and seen under Mark’s gaze. “Now what?”

Mark smiled and framed Renjun’s face with both hands. Renjun leaned into his touch, curling his fingers into Mark’s shirt to keep him close.

“Renjun,” Mark murmured, “I love you, too.”

Renjun’s eyes stung, but he blinked until his vision was clear, reluctant to ruin the moment with something as sappy as tears. “A lot?”

Mark quieted him with a kiss.

Renjun had a lot to figure out, but a lot of time to do it. For now, he let himself be kissed by the boy he loved first, and gave up the rest for tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> i missed them a little... thank you for reading <3
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/jpseudy)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/jpseudy)


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